Latigo Films and Inaugural Entertainment have secured the film rights to a new memoir by Richard Pryor’s daughter that reframes the comedian’s legacy through a private, family lens. The project promises to pair Pryor’s public influence with intimate discoveries that could change how audiences understand his life and work.
The memoir, titled Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word and Me, was written by Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor and charts her evolving relationship with her father—from childhood impressions to encounters with the fraught language and racial debates that shaped both their lives. The book unexpectedly grew out of academic research and contains material that filmmakers say can power a sensitive, character-driven biopic.
What the book brings to the screen
At the heart of the story is a trove of Richard Pryor’s personal notebooks discovered among family papers. These handwritten pages — sketches, raw routine notes and candid reflections — provide fresh context for many of his most provocative performances and reveal the private struggles behind his public persona.
Producers attached to the adaptation are David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr., Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor and Julie Merson. Latigo Films, the movie arm of Lipper/Daly Productions, is co-producing with Inaugural Entertainment. A screenwriter and director have not yet been announced.
- Title: Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word and Me
- Author: Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor (history professor)
- Rights acquired by: Latigo Films and Inaugural Entertainment
- Producers: David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr., Elizabeth Pryor, Julie Merson
- Notable material: Richard Pryor’s handwritten notebooks
- Creative team: Writer and director to be named
- Legal reps: Ryan Webb (Greenberg Glusker) for Latigo; Kimberly Lord (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips) and agent Tanya McKinnon for the author/producer team
Why this adaptation matters now
Pryor is widely recognized as one of the most influential stand-up comics of the 20th century — a performer who pushed boundaries on race, addiction, fame and American life. He won multiple Grammys and an Emmy, and in 1998 received the first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He also crossed into mainstream film with roles in hits such as Silver Streak, Stir Crazy and Brewster’s Millions.
This adaptation is being framed as more than a traditional showbiz biopic. Producers say the film will explore the personal cost of Pryor’s fame and the complexities of being his daughter. That approach could offer audiences a nuanced portrait that links the comedian’s material to the emotional and familial pressures that informed it.
Latigo’s founders have a personal connection to the author: Daly and Stordeur Pryor grew up together on Los Angeles’ west side, a tie producers say makes the project especially meaningful to the company. Latigo has produced several recent features, including the 2022 romantic comedy My Favorite Girlfriend, the survival thriller Not Without Hope, and the action film Neglected. Their slate also includes the upcoming action title The Fix.
Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor has described the memoir’s origin as unexpected: what began as scholarly work on the history and impact of a charged racial slur evolved into a personal reckoning. For filmmakers, that blending of cultural analysis and family narrative is the story’s central power — a chance to show how public language and private life intersect.
With the rights now secured, the next steps are attaching a screenwriter and director and shaping the material for production. Given the subject’s cultural resonance and the new archival material involved, the adaptation is likely to draw attention from both moviegoers and critics interested in how Hollywood handles complicated American icons.
Representatives confirmed the deal: Latigo Films was represented by Ryan Webb of Greenberg Glusker’s Los Angeles office, while Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor and Julie Merson were represented by Kimberly Lord of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and literary agent Tanya McKinnon.
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Hello, I’m Declan. I share my film reviews and discoveries with you to enrich your moviegoing experience.